I'm teaching a class on Wednesday nights at church on Simplicity. I happened to have read a wonderful book on that topic called Living with Less by Mark Tabb. It made a huge impact on me. But even though I really desire simplicity, it is so difficult to turn off the consumer mentality that drives my spending habits. Sometimes I am hit by how gluttonous my life really is, when it is suddenly compared to the lives of the majority of people on planet Earth. A friend sent me this blog address for "30 Days of Nothing." A family with four kids decided to purchase NOTHING except the most basic necessities for an entire month. They also did some activities like washing a load of laundry by hand, or going without electricity for a day to experience what many around the world must do every day. Some of the statistics at the beginning of the blog shocked me.
"Today, across the world, 1.3 billion people live on less than one dollar a day; 3 billion live on under two dollars a day; 1.3 billion have no access to clean water; 3 billion have no access to sanitation; 2 billion have no access to electricity."
And then there are these statistics which are sickening:
"Americans spend $110 billion a year on fast food,
39 billion dollars a year on their pets.
We are carrying over 2 trillion dollars in credit card and auto debt."
I'm not trying to make anyone feel guilty, but I can't help but wonder how our "problems" would stand up against the majority of the world that is just barely scraping by. It's humbling to think of how incredibly rich I am. Yet, instead of being content, or giving generously to others, I often hoard and worry. How foolish is that? I could live on way less than I do now..but because I have more, I spend more...on myself. But the many things I am acquiring only last a short time because either they wear out, or I die and leave them behind.
I find it tempting to try an experiment like "30 Days of Nothing." It may be the only way to shock my system into realizing how much control money has over my life, how blessed I am, how generous I could be, how I could help fulfill the needs of others instead of constantly thinking of myself. It might actually shift my thinking from the temporary to the eternal.
3 comments:
Great post Becky. You are so right. Most of us don't even think of the waste when so many others are in need. And I know for me it is also true the more I have the more I want. I was just in a conversation the other day with someone where we discussed that in this credit card age there is no more delayed gratification. People no longer wait till they can afford something, they go in debt to have what they want. I am thankful to be married to a man that has taught me how to live debt free! It sure beats trying to figure out how we will make it to the next paycheck! But we are still a long way from living a life of simplicity.
I tried that for Lent this year. In the past, it's been a certain type of food, or a favorite TV show, or a pasttime, etc. This year it was not buying anything for myself that I did not NEED. I tried to define that term narrowly, but I have to admit I broke down several times toward the end. However, I consider it a success in that I was daily, even hourly, evaluating what I really need vs. want. And I became more resourceful with what I had around the house already. Thanks again for your class on simplicity...it is such a great topic and a great reminder of what is truly important!
Karen Heflin
Great topic! Michael and I pay close attention to our spending now that we are trying get rid of our student loans. We love listening to Dave Ramsey. If you don't know who he is, just google him! It is amazing how easily we will fork over cash for a CD or a pair of jeans when we don't think about how else we could spend that hard-earned cash.
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